Leavanny [Update] (QC 2/3)

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Leavanny is an odd Pokémon, sitting at a nice 92 Speed and a convenient 103 Base Attack.

Odd typing with both good (hitting many common walls hard, hard-walling certain variants of Pokémon) and bad parts (a large amount of weaknesses which can be used left and right, many types are not hit for neutral damage through STAB alone)

Outclassed at Baton Passing by Leafeon.

Outclassed at Swords Dance by Leafeon and Pinsir in numerous occassions.

Outclassed as a Grass-type by Sawsbuck, outclassed as a bug by Pinsir, as both have better movepools - Leavanny is annoyed by a very small movepool - but Leavanny is there to be used if you need a bit of both in a single teamslot.

Can OHKO Golurk and 2HKO Alomomola with Life Orb, unlike Sawsbuck.

In terms of priority moves, weak to Ice Shard, resists Mach Punch, Vacuum Wave as well as Aqua Jet.

Underestimate this little mantis at your own risk, as it can easily tear through unprepared teams, as sometimes entire teams are weak to it, so if that fate falls upon you, prepare to be swept away like leaves in an autumn storm.

This set capitalizes on Leavanny's movepool and typing and is Leavanny's best bet.

Mandatory Dual STAB; the reason to use Leavanny.

Leavanny is usually attacking straight away since it does not want to waste turns when counters and checks are still into play - which is very often the case.

Synthesis to set up defensively and to recover damage from hazards.

Synthesis can be used to avoid Sucker Punch, further strengthened by the fact that Leavanny lives all unboosted Sucker Punches residing in NU if at maximum health, which is useful, causing the second Sucker Punch not to kill Leavanny.

The last move depends on what your team needs.

Heal Bell to cure status when facing a variety of walls; don't use it when facing an offensive Pokémon unless you want to die.

Synthesis and Heal Bell combined with Leavanny's STABs can be used to stall and kill Alomomola, Wartortle, and a myriad of support variants of Pokémon. Leavanny 2HKO's most of them.

Magic Coat can be used to bounce back Status and other annoying things like Roar, but is usually inferior to Heal Bell. But if you feel you can do without, Magic Coat is a solid replacement.

Magic Coat Leavanny is a solid check to a variety of Prankster abusers, like Liepard and Riolu which is a nice bonus.

Note that Magic Coat is not reliable against hazard setters, as most hazard setters hit Leavanny for a huge chunk of damage, that is, if they don't outright OHKO it. Garbodor has a tendency to attempt to set up hazards on Leavanny, though, but staying in for the Magic Coat to bounce back those Spikes is a big risk because Gunk Shot OHKO's Leavanny.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

EV's are mandatory, Leavanny needs to be as fast and hit as hard as possible. Jolly is crucial to outspeed things sitting at base 85 and base 90 speed. Zangoose deserves a special mention here as this EV-spread allows you to outspeed and OHKO Zangoose after Stealth Rock.

Life Orb is obvious, even with a semi-defensive approach. Crucial OHKO's, on Golurk, Zangoose and Ludicolo, and 2HKO's, on Alomomola and Musharna, are just too important to pass up, and Life Orb is required to reach this damage output.

Chlorophyll is the ability of choice, now Hail is out of the tier, and you have no intentions to stay on low health to abuse Swarm, as you use Synthesis when this happens. Leavanny is a decent weapon against Sun Teams with Chlorophyll and can easily defeat Shiftry, Exeggutor and other sun threats.

However, Swarm can still be used. But like with Chlorophyll, it is a tad situational as you rarely get any use out of them. Chlorophyll, however, provides a much larger bonus when it finally kicks in.

A move worth consideration in the last slot is Shadow Claw, which can be used if you want to catch Haunter and Drifblim as well as deal slightly more damage to Misdreavus.

Return can be used in the last slot if you want to kill Charizard after Rocks on the switch in, but seriously consider Sawsbuck if you start thinking about Return as Sawsbuck gets STAB on it. Sawsbuck also has Megahorn, which hits about as hard as Leavanny's X-Scissor if you want these three types on one Pokémon. Return on Leavanny is generally inferior to Shadow Claw if you want a third attacking option.

SR is important since it makes Leavanny much less vulnerable to counters which are still outsped, like CB Braviary, and to break Sturdy from the likes of Golem as well. Leavanny appreciates Spike support as well but does not really need it. SR does hit two of the types which Leavanny's STAB's won't get past easily for SE damage, Fire and Flying.

Defensive Carracosta is a great teammate as Leavanny and Carracosta cover each others weaknesses almost perfectly. Carracosta can also set up Rocks for Leavanny.

Leavanny appreciates a teammate that can absorb Toxic Spikes.

Torkoal can also work as a spinner, and can form a Grass-Fire-Water core with Carracosta. It can also deal with things which trouble Leavanny and tank Bug- and Fire attacks for Leavanny. Be wary as you slow down your team though, which can be unfavourable.

RestTalk Regice (helps dealing with Rain Teams, Articuno and Vileplume, things Leavanny struggles with, as well as Leavanny being capable of using Heal Bell to wake up Regice) and Support Misdreavus are great teammates for Leavanny. The latter can even spinblock and Taunt SR leads.

An offensive Gardevoir can hit anything Leavanny cannot hit through Psychic, Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Ground.

A Flash Fire user, can also really help Leavanny as it abuses the Fire-attacks Leavanny lures in.

Something that kills Steel-types is pretty useful, Leavanny is walled by them. The aforemented Torkoal, but Sawk, and Fire/Fighting/Ground types in general. Note that Leavanny beats several Bastiodon and Probopass versions one-on-one.

Be careful for common Scarfers with SE coverage, Leavanny doesn't live SE hits.

A Taunt Lead can help Leavanny greatly to keep Rocks off the field, which Leavanny appreciates.

The most common Leavanny set, but tends to be outclassed. Hits harder, but has trouble staying alive due to hazards and Life Orb Recoil.

Swords Dance boosts Leavanny's power to high levels, resulting in its STAB moves just killing everything in sight, basically forcing your opponent to sacrifice something.

Mandatory dual STAB, the reason to use Leavanny after all.

Move in the last slot depends on what your team needs. They are all viable and have their own merits. Shadow Claw nails Haunter and Drifblim, Return nails a variety of things on the switch, Charizard and Swellow being the most important, Baton Pass allows you to give the accumulated boosts to a teammate.

Not completely unimportant; only set up if anything that can remotely check Leavanny is killed or weakened enough for Leavanny to kill it. You don't want to waste your precious set up turns and see it was all for nothing which is bound to happen.

Don't be afraid to attack straight away. You do not want to take a DynamicPunch or an Ice Punch from Golurk to the face because you thought you could set up. Leavanny hates confusion, while Ice Punch outright OHKO's, no questions asked. The fact you OHKO Golurk while Sawsbuck does not is something speaking in your favour, don't be afraid of just attacking with that Leaf Blade straight away.

Instead of being an utility check, you aim to sweep in the endgame.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

EV's are there to allow Leavanny to hit as hard and fast as possible. Jolly is crucial to outspeed things sitting at base 85 and base 90 speed.

Life Orb gives more power, useful as Leavanny hits six (and a seventh with Shadow Claw) types for SE damage, and because it ensures many important OHKO's, Ludicolo and Golurk amongst them, and 2HKO's, like Musharna and Alomomola.

Swords Dance Leavanny has no way to recover health, so Swarm is the ability of choice, which is one of the few things in a boosting set that sets it apart from Sawsbuck and Leafeon, which otherwise completely outclass Leavanny in this role, especially considering Sawsbuck has Megahorn which hits about as hard as Leavanny's X-Scissor.

A Double Dance set with Agility in the last slot is possible, but has other gaping flaws and only works in the endgame, as well as being outclassed by Sawsbuck and Leafeon like always when boosting.

Talking about Agility, you could slash in Agility instead of Swords Dance in the third slot if you prefer the speed boost, which makes Leavanny extremely hard to revenge kill outside of Ice Shard.

You could also opt to slash in Synthesis in the last slot, so you can still safely avoid Sucker Punches and the likes as well as recover health alongside SD, and makes a good compromise between the first and second set so Leavanny can do both, albeit slightly worse.

Hazards are important to nail KO's and to break Sturdy.

Carracosta is a great teammate as Leavanny and Carracosta cover each others weaknesses almost perfectly. Only Leavanny's weaknesses to Bug and Rock are not covered by Carracosta, while Leavanny covers all of Carracosta's weaknesses.

Garbodor synergizes well and can set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes, as well as Toxic Spikes which Leavanny does not appreciate.

Torkoal is a good teammate as it can spin semi-reliably and can form a Fire-Grass-Water core with Carracosta. It can also deal with things which trouble Leavanny, and can tank Bug- and Fire attacks for Leavanny.

RestTalk Regice (helps dealing with Rain Teams, Articuno and Vileplume, things Leavanny struggles with) and Support Misdreavus are great teammates for Leavanny. The latter can even spinblock and Taunt SR leads.

An offensive Gardevoir can hit anything Leavanny cannot hit through Psychic, Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Ground.

A Flash Fire user, can also really help Leavanny as it abuses the Fire-attacks Leavanny lures in.

Swords Dance sets have to be wary of Scarfers which often threat to outspeed and OHKO with a Super-Effective move, something to deal with the common scarfers is reccommended.

Something to wreck Steel-types is very useful as they wall Leavanny. The aforemented Torkoal, or another Fire-type. Sawk can also work.

A Taunt Lead can help Leavanny greatly to keep Rocks off the field, which Leavanny appreciates without recovery. Rapid Spin is also an option, but spinning can prove difficult in NU.

No hazards on your side of the field is appreciated as you are weak to all hazards, have no recovery, and Leavanny switches in and out fairly often if you need it to revenge kill things early on.

[Other options:]

The most important thing here to consider is Substitute. It can be slashed in the last slot on either set and might force your opponent to sacrifice something to beat Leavanny if dangerous threats are already gone, even if used alongside Synthesis or Baton Pass instead of Swords Dance. A SubPassing set is perfectly viable as it eases prediction and you can pass a substitute to something threatening or allow something to safely switch in on a dangerous counter.

Leavanny's only other physical options are Aerial Ace, Bug Bite, Payback and Poison Jab. None of them add any coverage, especially when considering a neutral Leaf Blade hits harder than a super-effective Aerial Ace thanks to STAB on the former, and there are no exceptions in NU (Heracross is not NU. Oh, and Virizion is not NU either. Sorry.).

Leavanny has a decent special moveset with Energy Ball, Leaf Storm, Bug Buzz, Air Slash, a Hidden Power further backed by Calm Mind and the aforemented Baton Pass, but base 70 SpA and not-good bulk unless facing walls, will spell doom for the mantis.

Dual Screens. Leavanny is the only Pokémon in the game with both Dual Screens and Chlorophyll.

It has access to Sunny Day, but other Pokémon are better at setting it up, and Leavanny has better things to do.

Knock Off provides some more utility for Leavanny and greatly annoys several checks and counters, but there are better users of this move.

Me First is a situational and gimmicky option, but an option nonetheless as it trolls a variety of things.

Grasswhistle can put a counter to sleep, but the pathetic accuracy is very annoying.

A full Baton Pass set is an option, but Leavanny is outclassed here.

Choice Scarf with Leaf Blade + X-Scissor + Return + Shadow Claw is an option, but after the initial surprise, it has not much options, and Choice Scarf misses out on vital KO's.

Electroweb would be useful, if it was physical and had more base power. Or if it was ThunderPunch, which Leavanny does not have. *insert ThunderPunch joke here*

Think twice before adding Leavanny, as Sawsbuck and Leafeon tend to be more useful if it comes to Grass types, and Pinsir if it comes to Bug-types. In many cases they are just the better Pokémon, especially for Swords Dance sets.

[Checks and Counters:]

Leavanny has a good matchup against many common physical walls which are often 2HKO'd even without boosts, like Alomomola and Musharna, so exploit Leavanny's typing when thinking of a check/counter.

Torkoal stands out as a wall it doesn't give a damn about anything Leavanny can do, and can do whatever it pleases to, whatever that might be.

Weezing is in the same boat.

Golbat doesn't give a shit about Leavanny's attacks like the previous two, but does not really like the rare Knock Off on the switch as it loses its Eviolite.

Regirock can come in on Swords Dance or any attack as long as Leavanny is not at +2 Atk yet, and OHKO with a STAB move of choice - or Fire Punch if you have it.

Probopass is in the same boat, but needs Power Gem, or it still loses.

Talking about Probopass, Steels in general don't take much damage from Leavanny as they tend to resist most (and pure Steels resist even all of Leavanny's physical moves) of Leavanny's attacks and generally have high defence to take multiple hits.

Anything else that avoids a 2HKO from any of the moves Leavanny commonly carries, while also be capable of dealing significant damage in return, like Muk, does well enough. Throh can also come in on Leavanny and phaze it out with Circle Throw, forcing Leavanny to take another round of hazards, but this is not too effective against Leavanny with Synthesis.

Haunter and Drifblim can come in on a variety of moves, and set up whatever they want, but need to be extremely wary of switching into Shadow Claw.

Rotom-S is a good check, but needs to be wary if SR is up though as it can't switch in more than once into Leavanny. Even Leaf Blade deals significant damage. You need that Choice Scarf to beat Leavanny though, as Leavanny outspeeds. Braviary is in the same boat as Rotom-S.

Status greatly hinders Leavanny, especially those without Heal Bell, but Magic Coat bounces those moves back, causing some obvious problems for some of those status inducers.

Almost all Fire, Poison and Flying types tend to scare Leavanny out, but not all of them can switch in as Leavanny might still 2HKO after Rocks, and several physical attackers need to watch out for their own recoil as well as the damage they take upon switch-in.

Ice Shard users can revenge weakened Leavanny with ease.

Variants without Agility are prone to being revenge killed, but be wary as Leavanny switches out often whenever it fears the revenge kill. Having Pursuit can catch Leavanny when it flees, but at high health, Pursuit does not do much against Leavanny at all.

If neither of this is an option for some reason, having a powerful SE-attack while being faster than Leavanny will do the trick.

I hope you guys appreciate the quasi-serious writing style I used here, blatant overusing of the word "Again" in the second set and the remark about ThunderPunch, a move Leavanny would greatly appreciate if it had access to it.

If you guys do not, I can easily fix it up.

The analysis:

[Overview]

<p>Leavanny is an odd Pokémon. It is sitting at a nice 92 Speed tier, which allows it to outspeed things like Zangoose, and base 103 Attack, which is above average. Leavanny's Grass/Bug-typing looks awful at first, but it provides some useful resistances as well as that it allows Leavanny to hit numerous Pokémon in the tier for Super-Effective damage. Leavanny also has an oddball support movepool including Synthesis, Heal Bell and Magic Coat, as well as the ability to Baton Pass Swords Dance boosts, which help Leavanny differentiating itself from the other Grass- and Bug-types in the tier. However, with Leavanny's STAB moves having poor neutral coverage and Leavanny's lack of coverage moves outside of Shadow Claw and Return, this is where Leavanny's positive traits end. Another flaw of Leavanny is that its Base Speed sits just below the current standard of Base 95. Leavanny is also somewhat frail, and can be easily taken out with a Super-Effective attack. Regardless, if used well, Leavanny can prove to be a valuable asset to your team.</p>

<p>An oddball set, but it does what the other Grass- and Bug Pokémon in the tier cannot do. Leaf Blade and X-Scissor are Leavanny's most powerful STAB moves and part of Leavanny's niche, and as such, mandatory. Synthesis is used in the third slot, so you can recover the damage from hazards and Life Orb recoil, and switch in additional times as a result, or just take more attacks, most noticeably Sucker Punch. A full health Leavanny lives all unboosted Sucker Punches in NU.</p>

<p> Heal Bell is the preferred move in the last slot. Leavanny uses it mostly to cure the status it is likely to obtain when facing defensive Pokémon like Alomomola and Wartortle, and support variants of Pokémon like Torterra and Probopass. Magic Coat can be used to prevent Leavanny from obtaining status in the first place, and is a great check to Pranksters.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Despite running two defensive moves, Leavanny needs to hit as fast and hard as possible. Jolly is crucial, as Leavanny really needs to outspeed things sitting at base 85 and base 90 speed, like Zangoose. Life Orb is the item of choice, as the additional damage output allows you to achieve numerous OHKO's and 2HKO's you would miss out on otherwise. Chlorophyll is the ability of choice, considering you usually have no intentions to stay on low health to abuse Swarm. Leavanny is a decent weapon against Sun Teams with Chlorophyll and can easily defeat Shiftry, Exeggutor and other sun threats. Swarm still has its uses, though. But like with Chlorophyll, it is a tad situational as you rarely get any use out of both abilities. Chlorophyll, however, provides a much larger bonus when it finally kicks in. If you don't want to use Heal Bell or Magic Coat in the last moveslot, Shadow Claw is an option to consider. It provides significant neutral coverage and hits Haunter and Drifblim hard, which would otherwise be solid counters. </p>

<p>Leavanny enjoys Stealth Rock support, since it breaks Sturdy puts certain Pokémon into OHKO range of Leavanny's attacks, and numerous counters to Leavanny are weak to Stealth Rock. Furthermore, most Stealth Rock setters have good synergy with Leavanny. Leavanny also appreciates Stealth Rock not being up on your side of the field, so anti-leads like Sawk or defensive Misdreavus can be helpful to prevent Rocks from getting up. It is important to note Leavanny cannot hit Torkoal, various Poison- and Steel-types for decent damage at all, so something that can dispose of them is mandatory.</p>

<p>While Swords Dance is looking very tempting, it is only somewhat viable as this set tends to be outclassed by Sawsbuck, Leafeon and Pinsir. Swords Dance doubles Leavanny's Attack stat, which often forces your opponent to sacrifice something once it safely set up. Like on the previous set, dual STAB in the form of Leaf Blade and X-Scissor is mandatory as well. No exceptions. </p>

<p>In the last slot, a few options are viable. Shadow claw nails Haunter and Drifblim, while Return hits Braviary as well as numerous other threats, and Baton Pass allows you to pass the Swords Dance boosts to a teammate or to gain momentum with a dry pass. Don't worry about attacking straight away in case you feel that is necessary. Leavanny hits often hard enough even without boosts, and it does not want to take an Ice Punch or Stone Edge from Golurk to the face because you expected it to switch out, while Leaf Blade OHKO's Golurk anyway. This set aims to sweep in the endgame, with or without help of Swords Dance, once all checks and counters to Leavanny are removed.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Like on the previous set, the EV's are there to allow Leavanny to hit as hard and fast as possible. Jolly is crucial to outspeed things sitting at base 85 and base 90 speed. Again, the Life Orb gives more power, which ensures many important OHKO's and 2HKO's. Since Swords Dance Leavanny has no way to recover health, Swarm is the ability of choice, which is one of the few things in a boosting set that sets it apart from Sawsbuck and Leafeon that otherwise outclass it. It is possible to use Agility instead of Swords Dance if you prefer the speed boost, which makes Leavanny extremely hard to revenge kill outside of Ice Shard, considering Leavanny at +2 outspeeds most Scarfers and as such allows Leavanny to kill things it could not kill otherwise.</p>

<p>Many things are similar regarding to Leavanny's previous set in terms of team support, but this team support is incredibly crucial for the Swords Dance set, as with this set, Leavanny fails to function without support. A crucial difference with previous set, is that Swords Dance Leavanny is much more afraid of Scarfers, since it can't switch out as easily because of stacking hazard damage and Life Orb recoil. Also a note is that any set-up variant of Leavanny appreciates Wish support, as having more HP eases set up.</p>

[Other options:]

<p>The most important thing here to consider is Substitute. It can be slashed in the last slot on either set and might force your opponent to sacrifice something to beat Leavanny if dangerous counters are already gone, even if used alongside Synthesis or Baton Pass instead of Swords Dance. A SubPassing set is perfectly viable as it eases prediction and you can pass a substitute to something threatening or allow something to safely switch in on a dangerous counter.</p>

<p>Leavanny's only other physical options are Aerial Ace, Bug Bite, Payback and Poison Jab, but neither of them adds much in the form of coverage compared with Leavanny's main moves. Leavanny has a decent special moveset, further backed by Calm Mind and Baton Pass, but base 70 SpA and lack of bulk make this unviable. Despite this, you can opt for a Naive nature and go mixed with Leaf Storm, as Leaf Storm can deal huge damage to some physical walls. Leavanny is the fastest Pokémon in the game with both Dual Screens and Chlorophyll, so on a full sun team it can be considered. Knock Off is another good utility move, and it annoys several checks and counters to Leavanny, but it contradicts with Life Orb. Leavanny also has access to Me First, which can be a great surprise but is also very situational. A Choice Scarf set with Leaf Blade + X-Scissor + Aerial Ace + Shadow Claw is an option, but after the initial surprise it has not much options, and Choice Scarf misses out on the vital KO's that Life Orb provides. And finally, a full Baton Pass set is an option, but Leavanny is outclassed in this role.</p>

[Checks and Counters:]

<p>Leavanny has a good matchup against many common physical walls, and as such, it is better to exploit Leavanny's typing when attempting to counter it, though a high physical defence obviously helps. As far as specific Pokémon counters go, Torkoal, Weezing, Golbat and defensive Garbodor immidiately stand out, as they can take everything Leavanny can throw at them. Other counters are numerous but not as reliable, either because the fact they are weak to one of Leavanny's common coverage moves, or because they have to run certain attacks and offensive EV's to do so, or because they can't switch in multiple times due to Stealth Rock and chip damage from Leavanny's attacks. In some cases, a combination of these factors should be taken into account, for example Scolipede, which is a safe counter to Leavanny that run only STAB moves, but it is weak to Stealth Rock as well as Spikes, and the fact that it takes significant damage from common coverage moves potentially hinder Scolipede's ability to switch into Leavanny multiple times. Regirock is an exception to everything told above, as despite being weak to Grass, it can take any physical attack from Leavanny even at +2 and OHKO back, and only loses to the rare Leaf Storm, which strikes on Regirock's much lower special defence. Defensive Misdreavus can be a counter as well, but if unlucky fails to come out on top, and needs Foul Play to defeat Swords Dance Leavanny.</p>

<p>If switching in and countering Leavanny outright is not an option, outspeeding it while hitting it hard with a Super-Effective attack will dispose of the mantis. Though Leavanny may switch out, it is weak to Stealth Rock and loses a quarter of its health if it comes in again. Pursuit could be used if you predict this switch, but Synthesis messes Pursuit up and swings the situation around.</p>

Paralysis is slightly less of a devil

Well Aasgier, looks like you've finally gone and written this up. You could give mention on how Leavanny's Fighting resistance as opposed to Sawsbuck's weakness and superior coverage to Leafeon are its advantages over the two. Also, Carracosta isn't weak to Steel.

Well Aasgier, looks like you've finally gone and written this up. You could give mention on how Leavanny's Fighting resistance as opposed to Sawsbuck's weakness and superior coverage to Leafeon are its advantages over the two. Also, Carracosta isn't weak to Steel.

Path>Goal

Mention Rotom-S as a good check, since even with Rocks up it is only 2HKOed by an unboosted Return while it can always KO back with Air Slash. Torkoal deserves a mention as a good teammate since it can semi-reliably Spin away Rocks, tank Fire and Bug attacks, and deal with Steel-types that aren't hit neutrally by Leaf Blade/X-Scissor; alongside Carracosta they form a semi-offensive Fire-Water-Grass core. Also, you should mention in the AC of the utility set that Swarm could still be useful for a last ditch power boost in case you are forced out one too many times and no longer have the opportunity to Synthesis up due to residual damage.

You mention Regice as a good teammate, but make sure you remember to mention that it deals with Vileplume, Articuno and most Rain sweepers very well; all of them can either tank a hit and KO back or outspeed and KO in the Rain. Leavanny can Heal Bell a Resting Regice in return. I'm not QC and haven't used Leavanny too much, so that's all I've got for you.

I used the utility set more often, and can say I have yet to wish to met a case in which I had Swarm over Chlorophyll.
If you are forced out often, that is usually because Leavanny made him/herself useful by killing several members of the opposing team, or through forcing many switches, which provide Synthesis oppertunities.

But yeah, otherwise you are correct. The things about Regice are so obvious for me I even forgot to mention them and you are right about the other teammates as well.

underdog of the year

You can probably remove the slash of Shadow Claw in the first set and bump it down to AC (do still mention Drifblim + Haunter, though); often, we won't ever have to go beyond two slashed moves because a third one is likely not as useful as the others. You should specifically mention Garbodor when you reference Magic Coat, since nothing else can really lure in Garbo + screw it over as easily as Magic Coat Leavanny can.

"Zangoose deserves a special mention here as this EV-spread allows you to outspeed and OHKO Zangoose." - Specifically mention "after SR", since it has like a 10% chance to do so otherwise. In general, I'd really emphasize the usage of SR. Two of the four types that resist both STAB moves (Fire, Flying, Steel, Poison) are weak to it, and Leavanny can certainly lure all of them in to take SR damage when they do. You can probably also make a special mention of Golbat, who also gives ~0 fucks about what Leavanny does (LO Leaf Blade: 7.64 - 9.06%; Return does like 25%).

All in all, I think this is an excellent skeleton thus far and you really seem to know what you're talking about.

underdog of the year

Yeah, I primarily wanted you to mention Garbodor because I don't think there are many other hazard setters that would actually want to stay in and set up on Leavanny (nor many things that would want to status Leavanny, either). Most of the SR setters are weak to Grass barring Torkoal, and Cacturne is mauled by X-Scissor. 252/0 Roselia gets cleanly 2HKOed as well, though it does have access to Sludge Bomb (!). Gunk Shot is also slowly dropping in usage since people are realizing it's generally more useful to stick on something like Toxic or Toxic Spikes or Pain Split.

If this set gets more popular, then I suppose it's a 50/50 choice for the Garbodor user: either it sets up Spikes (hopefully on the switch to your Poison-type resist) or it uses Gunk Shot on the hope that Leavanny will stay in and try to bounce back hazards. Of course, it's all dependent on each little scenario and how you've played up until that point, but I definitely don't think it's a bad idea to mention Garbodor there, drawbacks and all. :P

Quite a few status users, actually, as some want to status the possible switch-in. Misdreavus is a good example, while others underestimate Leavanny's offensive power (many Alomomola users think Alomo walls Leavanny (Alomo does wall Sawsbuck, after all) and bring it in, only to be set-up fodder for Substitute/Synthesis/Heal Bell before the 2HKO).

But yeah, many things can set up on Leavanny and scare it out as well, so taking a 50/50 risk is pretty dangerous especially if you need Leavanny later. It's better if Garbodor is taken out before Leavanny comes in, which is why I mentioned Gardevoir; Gardevoir can remove a lot of things dangerous to Leavanny with Psychic, Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Ground which kick the butt of all the types Leavanny cannot hit with STAB moves, which proved very useful to me.

Edit: Wrote an explanation for Gardevoir in the skeleton as well as a short note about Magic Coat and Garbodor.
Edit2: Wrote a tidbit about Synthesis on SD sets. Will be expanded upon as I start writing the full article.

slayer

For the Swords Dance set I'd mention tha any of Shadow Claw / Return / Baton Pass is viable. I don't think any of them are better than the other, personally i like BP, but i know SC works really well. [qc]2/3[/qc]

Path>Goal

In your checks and counters, note that Scolipede is an excellent counter to Leavanny. It resists both of its STABs and threaten Leavanny out with the threat of Megahorn, letting it easily set up a Swords Dance or layer of Spikes. Misdreavus and Weezing are also more popular now, and should be given a larger mention since they also wall Leavanny and can threaten it back with Foul Play and Sludge Bomb respectively. In the overview, note that base 92 Speed is no longer as useful due to the fact that base 95 Speed Pokemon are common and immediately threatening for Leavanny.

Missy loses to a variety of Leavanny variants, and as such, it isn't a real counter. A check, at best. Utility Counter Leavanny beats any Misdreavus without Foul Play and some Leavanny even carry Shadow Claw and/or Knock Off.
Weezing is already mentioned in C&C.

Scolipede is a counter, but has to attack straight away, considering the following:

In short, after SR, Scolipede is forced to attack with Megahorn because if it attempts to set up, it is dead if Leavanny decides to attack. Also, if it has Magic Coat it can troll your Spike attempt for a turn and then switch.

Otherwise, I made the changes.

Then again, there isn't any real reason to use Leavanny anymore now Scolipede and Jynx are around.

Path>Goal

Seeing as Knock Off isn't even listed on the sets and is thus rare, Missy is a counter. Unless it is the Swords Dance variant (who thus has to take a Will-O-Wisp), Shadow Claw does 36.22 - 42.72%, which is a guaranteed 3HKO after Rocks (252 Atk Life Orb Leavanny Shadow Claw vs. 248 HP / 220+ Def Eviolite Misdreavus: 117-138 (36.22 - 42.72%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock). Also, the point of Scolipede is to put Leavanny is a bad situation: be forced out by Megahorn and risk it setting up, or stay in and take the risk of a Megahorn OHKO just to Magic Coat/Return.

Doesn't stop Leavanny from beating Misdreavus, since Misdreavus can't OHKO back and is slower than Leavanny, which means Missy has to take two Leaf Blades/Shadow Claws before it can hit Leavanny, and at that point, even WoW cannot prevent the KO next turn. And this is only icing on the cake:
0 SpA Misdreavus Shadow Ball vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Leavanny: 102-120 (34.93 - 41.09%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

Even with LO Recoil factored in, Leavanny has the advantage.

And I gave Scoli a significant mention in C&C anyway. Note that Scoli is just as well dead if it mispredicts on Leavanny's decision, though it has the speed advantage (unless Megahorn misses, which happens all too often).

Paralysis is slightly less of a devil

I meant to say: It is less than what Synthesis recovers. This means that Missy still outright loses to Synthesis variants.

True, it's a 2HKO after Rocks, but Leaf Blade and Shadow Claw will deal a lot of damage, either hitting twice or once at +2 (dealing around 70% of damage), meaning Missy is damaged beyond repair, which you can't really afford against many teams because ever so often Missy needs to check something like Sawk as well.
Missy is a check, but I would not dare to switch it in.

Missy does counter Leavanny variants without either Synthesis or Swords Dance, though.

slayer

This really needs to be shortened before it can get the last check. The overview is 7 paragraphs =/, one should suffice, two tops. The rest of the analysis is really long, make sure you're only writing what needs to be known!

I've been shortening it (just forgot to post about it as I was somewhat in a hurry), though Leavanny's biggest problem, is that it is one of those things that is absolutely worthless if used incorrectly. You can just as well use a level 1 Castform at that point with Mystic Water at that point.

That, as well as the fact that the Leavanny-Leafeon-Sawsbuck-Pinsir comparison needs to be made... somewhere (Leavanny is rarely better than either of those, and yet has a niche in between them), and as such, this takes up space in the overview since it is very important to consider if Leavanny is the Pokémon to fit in that teamslot. More often than not, that is not the case.

Edit: Overview shortened, slightly. Two paragraphs, albeit longer ones, and a third paragraph to make the comparison.
Edit: Also shortened the comments on the first set
Edit: And the AC of the second.

I shortened the analysis quite a bit, and I think it is pretty much finished and ready for the third QC check as it is.

Still three paragraphs in the overview, though, but I don't know how to fix that without kicking the comparison in between the Grass- and Bug-types out, and I don't know if it can be removed since it is so crucial to consider this when choosing Leavanny or anything else to fill that teamslot.

cardiac cats

<p>Leavanny is an odd Pokémon. It is sitting at an ok 92 Speed tier, which allows it to outspeed things like Zangoose, and a convenient 103 Base Attack, which allows it to net several KO's it would not net otherwise. It also has a sneaky good Grass/Bug-typing, which allows it to hit the numerous Psychic, Water, and Ground-type Pokemon in the NU metagame super effectively. In addition, it has a fairly decent movepool, with Heal Bell, Synthesis, Magic Coat, and the rare ability to Baton Pass Swords Dance boosts. However, the positives end there. Leavanny does not have much in the way of coverage moves, and its speed tier is slower than the current standard of base 95. It is also quite frail, is Stealth Rock weak, and even with its numerous resistances, manages to get ko'd quite easily.</p>

How about this?

I'll go through the rest of the analysis later, but it still looks really long on a first skim for such an irrelevant Pokemon in the metagame.

edit: because i know you're adamant that the comparison to other bug-types has to be made, that should go in the set when explaining synthesis + heal bell/magic coat (stuff that other bug/grass types dont have), or when explaining sd + whatever (gets stab on xscissor unlike leafeon). really only needs one line to the effect of "other grass/bug types like pinsir and leafeon do not have access to this" instead of 3 paragraphs

強いだね

<p>Leavanny is, in many aspects, an odd Pokemon. Although a Grass / Bug typing may seem awful at first, it grants Leavanny useful resistances and allows it to take on Alomomola in a way other Bug-types cannot. A quirky movepool filled with Heal Bell, Synthesis, Magic Coat, and Baton Pass gives Leavanny a bit of variety in its sets - at the same time, Leavanny packs a strong punch with its 103 base Attack. Ultimately, however, it struggles to differentiate itself from Pinsir and Leafeon, who both tend to play many of its roles better. A Stealth Rock weakness and its inability to stand up to NU's faster Pokemon only compound Leavanny's issues. Regardless, make sure not to underestimate this little leaf insect, as a couple false moves can let it sweep away Pokemon like leaves in an autumn storm.</p>